Chapter 1 Greetings from Ireland

28th March’10



Sunday Night/Monday morning



Good day to all, family and friends!



I am so exciting to see the spring growth eventually coming through! The new leaves in all different colours of green and after the lovely rains the breakthrough in the brown grassy fields, what a peaceful atmosphere it brings to a very expectant population of Island dwellers.

As In England the buds are appearing everywhere and soon we will have blossoms on the apple trees and pear trees the roses are growing new leaves and buds at an alarming speed as if to catch up. At the gate we are met with very beautiful bright red tulips, 9 hanging baskets filled with colourful primroses and pansies. The back hedge is covered in Daffodils and all along the hedge of the lower field the yellow heads are opening, the geese tasted one and decided that it is not good enough to eat and now they are flourishing! I have to admit that the changing of the seasons are a remarkable event and very exciting!



We are now only 1 hour behind SA and I had the privilege to work an hour less last night and welcome the earlier hour gratefully! In fact it made no difference really, where we are aware of it more is suddenly the evening is an hour longer already! I drove to work in day light today with the sun only on its way to set!.



Temperatures have been very generous with bright clear skies at night the moon nearly full and the starts bright and shiny there far above us! Many mornings we had cloudy weather just to clear up into a lovely spring day!

We still have not cut the grass as there has been no remarkable growth there yet but Barry has it in mind to do it before next weekend!

Today was Isabel birthday and sincerely hope that it was a memorable day! The 30th is Anette Knights birthday, Paul will you be so kind to tell your sister that we remember her! Best wishes for the year!



I am not near my birthday list and if there is some-one else having a birthday, God’s blessings we pray upon you! Reagrds to Tane Poppie!



I have been working many more nights that what I should and so it happened that I am still on duty and did not have chance to write the letter earlier.

For those who are tired of my geese stories, time for you to exit! A Good week to you all!

CONFUSION!

So it happens that Barry were attending something in the lower field where the geese graze and noticed the funny behaviour of the goose we marked as ‘Big Boy’ pulling the straw out of the dog box, and later pulling the sticks (This is a heap of small dry branches, ready for burning in the middle of their field) from the dry heap eventually after being very busy ‘he’ laid down in the grass and were very content looking, Barry left and came back an hour or so later and there was this enormous big white egg left as present from our so called gander! Barry was devastated. In our ignorance we had it that there must be at least this leader goose who has been so protective of all the other hens called #big’boy’ happily servicing the hens : Now it seems as if we had all hens and no gander 48 eggs later. Nowhere in the book does it give you definite gender differences except if you turn them upside down and look for their tools! We did not do that and with disgust Barry phone Matt the man we got the geese from and asked if he had a gander Yes he has!!!!! So after church today, with me tucked up in bed he left in pursuit of this gander!



He does indeed look different and has no pouch hanging between his legs he was filthy dirty and immediately shunned by the 4 hens which are to become his harem! As the day passed by they eventually allowed him to join in the drinking of water and to join in the grazing near them! Poor thing, he was once one of them but has not been exposed to the elite treatment as the hens have received!

We will have to remove all the eggs from the entire nest now and leave just one marked egg to know it is a dud for the next session of egg lying! Madam nearly reached 26 eggs on her own and the others are near to 10 each with the new hen now adding to the confusion.

We hope that he will perform his duties diligently and that the next batch of eggs will be hatch able!

We need every bit of patience for the next session!



Easter is on hand and good Friday in this country it is just a normal day only the banks are closed! Every-one else go on their merry way as before! Knowing that there are still places in this world where it is part of a religious church going day I do pray that you will all have a blessed Easter.

Those who will be together may the togetherness be blessed!

Save travelling for Arnolda and enjoy.

Last but not least CONGRATULATIONS is at the order of the day to Kathleen who has passed her final exams! I wonder if the Paul/Nine family does not break the record of Doctors in one generation ! We sincerely hope that the honours will be present at the graduation!

Hessie,I did go in on Face book, I am not fond of this face book business but did enjoy the photos, and also those you forwarded many thanks! What a lot of beautiful people together!

I do hope that you all will take care, may it rain where it is dry and that the winter that lies ahead will be tolerable.

Kind regards from a happy family of geese and gander with 2 human overseers in Cranleymore



UPDATE:



I cannot believe it I just completed the rest of the letter and it is all gone that makes me fuming mad now to try and remember everything I wrote with such enthusiasm!!!!!!!!!!!

I will try again!

Just in from an Auction( good hour ago now) Isabel will remember the auctioneer Mullens, we went to an auction in Old Castle while you were with us! This time the auction was in a house near Ballyjamesduff not far from us and Barry woke me at one and we arrived in good time for a bit of viewing, He did view yesterday after picking up the master and delivering him here at home. It has been raining since 2am and the earth is water logged!

We arrived and had to park in a field, not too happy but have no choice! No plan B were in place for in case the weather turns ugly and there we were 100 of us standing in pouring rain and the umbrella not worth the money we paid for it! It was freezing and we got soaked, after an hour we got some of the things we were after but then the park attendant came to tell us that those parked in the lower field have to move their vehicles as the field was waterlogged. Barry in front of the wheel and with great expertise he got us out and kept going!



We got home and after a warm drink started to thaw. Idiotic !!!!!!! I know but when the auction blood starts stirring you just have to adhere to the call! We checked on the geese family and ‘Scruffie’ is still struggling to be accepted. He is starving and cannot get enough of the scraps we give them ! he is somewhat cleaner but still in a terrible state We hope to get them into the shed tonight as Barry had to give up after several attempts last night. They stayed outside and fortunately there was no visiting fox or wheezel to make a meal out of our geese!

Regards

Take care

The Dunnes!